#Apogee big ben word clock pro#
#Apogee big ben word clock professional#

The PLL is a combination of analogue and digital elements without the ability to dynamically adapt to the nature of the external clocks. ApogeeвЂ™s website discusses this unique feature: вЂњAt the heart of any word clock regeneration is a Phase Lock Loop (PLL). The Big Ben is said to accomplish this task by taking the external clock data from any digital input and optimize it using ApogeeвЂ™s internal C777 Clock Technology. What I hoped the Big Ben would accomplish in my all digital rig was very simple: lower jitter with its ugly discordant artifacts. I began to wonder if this would be more trouble than it was worth. Setup was a little tricky since I wanted to run everything through the Big Ben, and this meant more digital cables. What I achieved seemed unusual to the Apogee engineers because I used the hi-rez вЂњDouble-WideвЂќ mode with two separate AES/EBU inputs, but I sent the 44.1kHz signal from two different sources: the digital out of the Gryphon Mikado, and the digital out from the Tact 2.2X preamp. The Big Ben accepts clock signals from 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176 and 192 kHz data. Apogee designed dual AES/EBU inputs for hi-rez transfer using each for dedicated left and right channel. Double-Dipping (as we at TAUG describe it), is achieved by going through the Big Ben twice via its dual AES/EBU inputs using two (different) separate devices. Another interesting one is Double-Wide, which has been talked about at length on the Tact AudioвЂ™s Users Group and serves as a unique digital approach. A blue dot located underneath the green arrow displays what Apogee calls their Surelock mode which ensures that Big Ben remains engaged even if the signal drops.Д«ig Ben is quite a flexible machine, allowing options like S/PDIF to AES/EBU, AES/EBU to ADAT, or ADAT to S/PDIF. Located beneath the LED display is a green arrow that commences to blink until an incoming signal is locked and stable (a blinking arrow indicates less than ideal clock syncвЂ™ing). This, of course, is perfect when youвЂ™ve got visitors over for a listening session because the first thing they ask is вЂњWhatвЂ™s that?вЂќ I love that. I found the small display screen just the right size its bright red sample-rate LED is neither too large or too small for quick inspection from ten-feet away. In addition, its intimidating features, eg., ADAT, S/Mux, Pull Up/Down, will give an audiophile a real time with the accompanying ownerвЂ™s manual. You can bet I did a lot of background research and I got the chance to see up close and personalВ what a serious product Apogee designed in the Big Ben.ДЄt first glance, one notices the Big BenвЂ™s a pro-audio product: its sleek, low profile and rack mounts are dead giveaways. Because of this I was only vaguely aware of them.

#Apogee big ben word clock pro#

Founded in 1985, theyвЂ™ve remained on a steady course of fulfilling the needs of pro engineers and recording buffs alike, but did make some stir among audiophiles with their uniquely affordable digital cable called the Apogee Wyde Eye.

#Apogee big ben word clock professional#

So much in fact that I contacted Apogee and asked for a review sample.ДЄpogee Electronics Corporation, not to be confused with the now-defunct loudspeaker manufacturer Apogee Acoustics, has long existed on the professional side of music playback and has served as a leading maker of professional-grade recording equipment. I paid close attention due to the seriousness of the responses. One quiet afternoon, while doing my daily perusing of TacT AudioвЂ™s Users Group (TAUG) chat room, I noticed a growing thread on the merits of the Big Ben digital word clock and jitter attenuator. Considering how futuristic some of these new players look and how much they cost, plus, how hard it is to get oneвЂ™s hand on say an old Meridian 518, makes this argument almost believableвЂ¦that is ,В until you hear the Apogee Electronics Big Ben.

What lies behind it, I believe, is that these new-fangled players have all but eliminated jitter from our playback systems. But with the advent of new formats-SACD, DVD-A and hi-rez CDвЂ™s-have made these products-and jitter issues-all but disappear. In their day these glorified gizmos helped to keep jitter, a sort of mysterious digital disease (roughly equivalent to distortion in an analog signal), at bay. More recently there was the Perpetual Technologies P1A/P3A digital dynamo. You could have even upgraded to the Meridian 518 or Genesis Digital Lens. SeemedВ like only yesterday the Audio Alchemy DTI-Pro 32 was the hot ticket. The Apogee Electronics Big Ben Master Clock